Friday, May 28, 2010

Tues. Nite Class

Tuesday night Ike and I had class. We missed the last two weeks due to the show in Maine and a sick dog. I was nervous because we were in the midst of a heat wave and my little black dog does not like the heat. The daytime temperature was 87 degrees, but class is at 7pm and it was definitely a little cooler. Class has moved outside for the season and the course had lots of fun elements.

Regardless of the heat, Ike was a rockstar! I neglected to write down the course map or bring my Flip (drat!). Kathleen did shoot a video of Ike on her Blackberry because she wanted to show me just how fast we were both moving. She said she didn’t think she had ever seen me moving so fast with Carmie or Bug and Ike was running in full extension. I definitely think it is the new way I am thinking about running courses and the things we have been working on the past few months with Ike.

Ike had a stunning running dogwalk almost all night. He really maintained great drive and speed for the majority of the class, even in the heat. I brought a rabbit lined pouch to toss and feed him treats from. It worked okay, but his beard got stuck in the Velcro and he acted a little leery of it once or twice. Kathleen recommended getting a small Tupperware container filled with treats to toss and allow him to eat from. A classmate happened to have one on hand she was willing to let me try. It worked really well so I will need to pick one up this weekend. I was also thinking I could buy some small jars of baby food and toss those – as long as I don’t hit my dog!

I did catch myself saying “Ooops” once and it was totally at me, not my dog. But how is he supposed to know that? (Demotivator!) I also caught myself saying “go, go, go” to Ike on the dog walk later in the night when he was slowing down. Kathleen commented that not only am I diluting the power of “go,” but I am basically just saying “c’mon.” I know, I know. Bad habits are so hard to break, it helps that I hear myself say it, notice it, and Kathleen reminds me NOT to do it.

During the last run of the night the next class had arrived and some people were walking around the field. Ike had just started doing a set of twelve weaves when he noticed a guy walking a big Doberman and stopped to look at them. Kathleen said she could see why trialing was tough for him – he gets very worried about other dogs. Ike space bubble is really quite large if he doesn’t know you.

It was a super class. Ike was so happy and engaged. I went into class thinking perhaps I should talk to Kathleen about taking the summer off after our class two weeks ago (Ike was hot, tired, and slow). Instead I have decided Ike either had an off night (we all have them) or was still tired from Gettysburg. He is enjoying class too much to stop, even if it is hot! ;-)

About Me

Homeopathy Blog for the Boy

Ike

Silvermist Icebreaker NAC, CL1-R CL1-H (CGC TDI)

Ike is the first dog that is purely my own. We have overcome some big hurdles with his fear of people (how can you avoid them!) and continue to work on building our confidence in the sport of agility. Ike takes life at a much slower speed than I do, which is a challenge. My goal for our partnership is to figure out a sport or joint activity that Ike and I can enjoy equally and excel at together. This would be in addition to Ike's #1 sport, lounging on the couch; which I don't really enjoy or excel at.

Carmen

Carmen is a 9 yo salt-n-pepper Miniature Schnauzer from the same breeder as Ike. I started working with Carmen in the winter of '08 after my DH told me we could not get another dog until the end of 2008 (enter Bug 5/08). Little did I know how much joy she would take in agility and what a spitfire she would be. We are having a ton of fun working together. Unfortunately, Carmen was diagnosed with PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) in 10/08 and has been retired as her vision continues to change.

Bug (Honor)

CH Visions Cornerstone Dream On (CGC) TN-N

Bug (fka Honor) is a 5 year old CWC. He is a blue merle with tan points, a LOVELY temperament and a great work ethic. He finished his AKC championship 7/3/2010. Bug is looking forward to playing in Rally Obedience and tracking/Noseworks.